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Follow live F1 updates as the title contenders speak to the media ahead of the penultimate race of the season in Qatar
Kieran JacksonFormula 1 CorrespondentThursday 27 November 2025 09:45 GMTComments
CloseNorris & Piastri Disqualified From Las Vegas Grand Prix…
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F1 next heads to Qatar for the penultimate race of the 2025 F1 season - and the final sprint weekend of the year - with the drivers’ championship title race fully reignited following the dramatic end to the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Lando Norris, currently leading the drivers’ standings, thought he’d extended the gap on teammate Oscar Piastri thanks to a second-place finish in Vegas, only for both McLaren cars to be disqualified for excessive skid plank wear on both cars, with the minimum thickness falling below the 9mm threshold allowed.
That means Max Verstappen, who triumphed in Vegas, has closed the deficit on Norris to just 24 points and will be targeting a fifth world title over the final two races of the year. Piastri and Verstappen are level on points behind Norris, and with 33 points up for grabs in Lusail this weekend, the season could yet face another dramatic twist.
Norris is still the favourite to win the title and could seal the title, sprint race dependent, with a victory in the grand prix on Sunday. Two second-place finishes in Qatar and Abu Dhabi would also be enough for the Briton, but anything less opens the door for Verstappen and teammate Piastri.
Follow live coverage of the Qatar Grand Prix with The Independent
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F1 QATAR GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- The penultimate round of the 2025 season takes place in Qatar
- Max Verstappen will react this afternoon to McLaren's double DSQ in Vegas
- Lando Norris still leads the world championship by 24 points
- McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has explained the team's errors in Vegas
- When can Lando Norris win the 2025 F1 world championship?
Max Verstappen after Las Vegas:
This is all we’ve heard from Max since that Vegas win - he is due to speak to the media at 4pm (GMT) this afternoon.
Read moreKieran Jackson27 November 2025 09:10F1 world champion backs Max Verstappen to win title after McLaren disqualifications
Jacques Villeneuve has backed Max Verstappen to win this year’s F1 world championship after the dramatic events following the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday night.
Championship leader Lando Norris had one hand on the trophy after extending his lead to 30 points over Oscar Piastri with a second-place finish in Vegas, with race winner Verstappen 42 points off the Briton.
Yet the shock double disqualification of both McLaren cars for excessive skid plank wear has thrust Verstappen back into the fight. With two rounds to go and 58 points on the table, Verstappen is now level on points with Piastri – a driver he trailed by 104 points at the start of September – and 24 behind Norris.
Full quotes below:
F1 world champion backs Max Verstappen to win title after McLaren disqualifications
Verstappen, chasing a fifth consecutive championship, now only trails Lando Norris by 24 pointsKieran Jackson27 November 2025 09:45FIA press conference line-up in Qatar:
2:30pm (GMT) - Ollie Bearman, Kimi Antonelli, Liam Lawson
3pm - Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg, Carlos Sainz
Lewis Hamilton (Getty)Kieran Jackson27 November 2025 09:30Lando Norris hit by McLaren’s all-time F1 screw-up but one move can still save title dream
Comment by Kieran Jackson
The first sign that something was amiss, under the bamboozling lightshow that is the Las Vegas strip, came in the final three laps. Out of nowhere, why was Lando Norris’s pace dropping off at a rate of knots? Safely in second place, seven seconds behind the race leader, Norris eventually finished 23 seconds off Max Verstappen. Now, we know why.
Norris’s shock disqualification from the Las Vegas Grand Prix, announced just after 1.30am local time, has handed his F1 title rivals the biggest of reprieves. Ironically, the double McLaren DSQ – with Oscar Piastri’s race result wiped out for the same reason, excessive plank wear on the car – is a much-needed saving grace for the Australian. His deficit was 30 points; now it’s back to the original 24 points.
More below:
Lando Norris hit by McLaren’s all-time screw-up but one move can save title dream
Comment: With a maiden F1 world title so close for the 26-year-old British driver, his Vegas disqualification has brought Max Verstappen back in contention with two races leftKieran Jackson27 November 2025 09:24TOP-3 - WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
The gap is 24 points.
1. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 390 points
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 366 points
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 366 points
Kieran Jackson27 November 2025 09:15Start times this weekend in Qatar:
All times GMT
Friday 28 November
- Free practice 1: 1:30pm
- Sprint Qualifying: 5.30pm
Saturday 29 November
- Sprint Race: 2pm
- Qualifying: 6pm
Sunday 30 November
- Race: 4pm
(Getty)Kieran Jackson27 November 2025 09:07F1 Qatar Grand Prix
F1 next heads to Qatar for the penultimate race of the 2025 F1 season - and the final sprint weekend of the year - with the drivers’ championship title race fully reignited following the dramatic end to the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Lando Norris, currently leading the drivers’ standings, thought he’d extended the gap on teammate Oscar Piastri thanks to a second-place finish in Vegas, only for both McLaren cars to be disqualified for excessive skid plank wear on both cars, with the minimum thickness falling below the 9mm threshold allowed.
That means Max Verstappen, who triumphed in Vegas, has closed the deficit on Norris to just 24 points and will be targeting a fifth world title over the final two races of the year. Piastri and Verstappen are level on points behind Norris, and with 33 points up for grabs in Lusail this weekend, the season could yet face another dramatic twist.
Norris is still the favourite to win the title and could seal the title, sprint race dependent, with a victory in the grand prix on Sunday. Two second-place finishes in Qatar and Abu Dhabi would also be enough for the Briton, but anything less opens the door for Verstappen and teammate Piastri.
Max Verstappen is only 24 points behind in the title race (Getty Images)Kieran Jackson27 November 2025 09:05More about
Max VerstappenLando NorrisOscar PiastriMcLarenQatar Grand PrixJoin our commenting forum
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